The SCAA is committed to a leadership role in protecting the planet, and next year’s annual conference will be no exception! The Event will be held at the George R. Brown Conference Center in Houston, Texas, from April 28th to May 1st. The center itself was selected partly based on its commitment to conservation and waste reduction.

Wind power comprises 99% of Texan “Green Energy” and, amazingly, the George R. Brown Convention Center is powered from 100% green energy. For more information, we encourage you to view the center’s Green and Brown Facts worksheet.

At The Event in particular, we are working to “grow up and green up” our training labs to eliminate unnecessary waste and create greater efficiencies during your classes at the expo. For instance, all spent coffee grounds will be collected for composting. Additionally, we are starting to transition to 100% recycled AND 100% recyclable conference signage.

The impact that we, as conference attendees, have on the environment is partially offset by international carbon sequestration projects in partnership with Trees for the Future. This year, carbon offsets (in the form of trees) go directly towards the portrait country, Brazil, and we encourage you to continue supporting the program by offsetting your travel, and even shipping, when registering for The Event online.

Lastly, as our way of recognizing an individual or company making great strides to be more sustainable and pave the way for future leaders, we will announce the 2011 Sustainability Award winner at the opening ceremonies of The Event! To apply, click here and stay tuned for the top three finalists to be announced early December. Deadline for applications is November 15th.

Thank you for helping us lead the way in sustainability, and we encourage you to include ideas or suggestions about how you, as an attendee or company, are reducing your impact at The Event or what we can do to continue minimizing our impact.